Picture book for children has a gay theme

A major publisher has taken the potentially controversial step of releasing a picture book, aimed at young children, about a same-sex relationship.

Hello, Sailor tells the story of a lighthouse-keeper and his sailor friend. While the nature of the friendship is not spelled out, Macmillan hopes the book will provoke debate on the validity of gay relationships.

The publisher also believes Hello, Sailor could have "crossover" appeal among adults, and is releasing it in time for Valentine's Day.

It tells the story of Matt, the lighthouse keeper, who constantly watches the sea, waiting for his friend Sailor to return. He has trouble concentrating on anything else, and his other friends doubt whether Sailor will come back.

Later in the evening, Sailor does return and the pair spend the night together, before setting off at dawn to sail around the world together. The tenderest scene is when the pair are reunited:

Sailor laughed. "Did you think I'd forgotten you? I thought we were going to sail round the world together."

"Yes," cried Matt. "I've been waiting for you!" The two friends didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

They turned round in a circle, to get a better look at one another. It was almost as if they were dancing.

Sailor was back!

Macmillan says the book should not raise as much controversy as Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin, a schoolbook that in part led to the enactment of the section 28 legislation preventing "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities.

Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin made clear the relationship between the two male characters, while Hello, Sailor is much more subtle.

Kate Wilson, children's books publisher at Macmillan, said: "Hello, Sailor works on a number of levels.

"To many young readers, it will simply be a book about the power of friendship. One of the things children must get used to is the intense nature of friendship.

"Having said that, Hello, Sailor offers itself to diverse audiences as a book with groundbreaking possibilities.

"It's a book, for instance, that you might decide to share with a child to show that relationships between men are OK. And, we have also had feedback that the book could draw in sales as an alternative Valentine's Day gift."